Exquisite Sculpture of the “First American Woodworker”
on Display at the Parkersburg Woodcraft StoreBack to Press Releases

PARKERSBURG, WV – Art lovers and woodworkers can view a piece of woodworking history April 12 – 26 at the Parkersburg Woodcraft store as the company displays its trademark “First American Woodworker” sculpture, company officials announced today.

Betty Secrist, Assistant Store Manager, said, “This meticulously detailed, life-size sculpture is a masterful work of art, and embodies Woodcraft’s tradition of quality, service and reliability. We’re proud to put it on display for the public to view.”

Woodcraft commissioned the sculpture in 1976, and it was first exhibited in 1978 to commemorate Woodcrafts’ 50th Anniversary. The work is a representation of an Indian carving a wood pole into a spear. The entire body of the Indian, including the stump, was carved from a single block of pine, originally 48 inches in diameter, squared down to 30 by 34 inches and weighing 700 pounds.

Famed American sculptor Armand LaMontagne crafted the 5-foot pine carving, which took more than a year to create. Among his masterpieces is a wood carved bust for bronze casting of former president Gerald Ford. He has also created sculptures of George Patton, Abraham Lincoln, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth (displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY), Larry Bird and Carl Yastrzemski.

Interestingly, LaMontagne’s talents were first confirmed when he deliberately made a reproduction of a 17th century turned oak Brewster chair to embarrass the “experts”. The Henry Ford Museum purchased the “fake” from a dealer for $9,000. They were later alerted to their error.

Woodcraft is the woodworking industry’s leading retailer of top quality supplies, materials, tools and education. The company’s Parkersburg store is the only retail outlet in West Virginia. The store is located at 4420 Emerson Avenue.

Woodcraft Supply LLC, the parent company of Woodcraft, is headquartered in Parkersburg. The company sells products through direct-mail catalogs, an on-line web site store (located at www.woodcraft.com) and at more than 80 retail stores nationwide.

For additional information or for store hours, contact Betty Secrist at (304) 485-4050.